The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 24: A Man Must Have a Sense of Responsibility
Chapter 24: A Man Must Have a Sense of Responsibility
He reached out and took the candy from Nina’s hand. "Thank you, Nina."
Nina smiled, her two small dimples making her look exceptionally sweet. "You’re welcome."
Madam Fitzwilliam’s voice chimed in, "Tristan will have a daughter soon, too. Then Nina will have a little sister."
Tristan Sterling gave a faint smile, his handsome face betraying little emotion. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Nina ran over to Madam Fitzwilliam.
"Great-Grandma, where is my little sister?"
Madam Fitzwilliam stroked Nina’s head. "The little sister hasn’t been born yet."
Nina asked, "Then when will my little sister be born?"
"By the New Year, Nina will have a little sister."
"Does that mean I can celebrate the New Year with my little sister?"
"Yes!"
"..."
Madam Sterling watched Nina, her eyes filled with affection.
Madam Fitzwilliam said, "Next year, you’ll have a great-granddaughter too."
Madam Sterling said, "Yes, the wait is finally over."
The atmosphere was warm and pleasant.
Franklin Fitzwilliam said with a smile, "You’re finally going to be a father."
Tristan Sterling’s lips curved into a faint smile, but a closer look revealed the cold depths of his pitch-black eyes.
"Then why didn’t Tristan bring her over for dinner today?" Master Fitzwilliam’s voice suddenly cut in.
As his words fell, the atmosphere instantly stiffened.
Everyone present shared a tacit agreement to ignore Rachel Royce’s existence. No one ever brought her up. Even when the coming baby was mentioned, her name was left out.
No one had expected Master Fitzwilliam to suddenly speak up for Rachel Royce.
The expressions on everyone’s faces shifted. The room fell silent, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Madam Sterling’s face stiffened for a moment.
Tristan Sterling heard him but offered no reply.
Madam Fitzwilliam reached out and tugged Master Fitzwilliam’s sleeve.
But Mr. Fitzwilliam, as if he hadn’t felt it, continued, "You’ve already married her, after all. A man must have a sense of responsibility."
His words were clearly laced with disapproval for Tristan Sterling.
At this point, not even Sylvia Shannon dared to speak, merely glancing at her son.
Tristan Sterling replied obediently, "Grandfather Fitzwilliam is right. I understand."
Mr. Fitzwilliam’s eyes darkened as he withdrew his gaze, saying nothing more.
Madam Fitzwilliam smiled and quickly changed the subject.
The family dinner concluded.
Around nine o’clock, the members of the Sterling family said their goodbyes and began to depart.
Sylvia Shannon got into Tristan Sterling’s car. "I wonder why your Grandfather Fitzwilliam brought up Rachel Royce today."
Tristan Sterling didn’t answer.
Sylvia Shannon looked at her son and said, "I hear you’re with Claire Ainsworth now."
Tristan Sterling hadn’t been discreet about being with Claire Ainsworth, so news of their affair had naturally spread through their social circles. Sylvia Shannon had only heard the rumors in the past couple of days.
Tristan Sterling grunted in affirmation.
Sylvia Shannon said, "The Ainsworth family’s status in Portington is certainly a match for you, and I had a bit of a rapport with her mother years ago. However, you’re not divorced yet, so you should be more discreet. I wonder if your Grandfather Fitzwilliam has heard the rumors, given what he said today."
It was a well-known fact that Rachel Royce wasn’t worthy of Tristan Sterling, but she was, after all, legally married to him.
With her being pregnant now, Tristan being with another woman would be a scandal if it got out, which wouldn’t do his reputation any good. This was especially true after Mr. Fitzwilliam publicly spoke up for Rachel Royce.
For a family of the Sterling’s stature, nothing was more important than their reputation.
Tristan Sterling said, growing impatient, "I know what I’m doing."
Sylvia Shannon sighed softly. "So I’m not allowed to say anything?"
Her son had always been independent, composed, and exceptionally intelligent. From a young age, he had demonstrated abilities and methods far beyond the ordinary, earning him high regard from his grandfather and grandmother.
But precisely because he was so brilliant, he lacked a certain human touch and wasn’t particularly close even to her, his own mother.
When he returned home, Madam Sterling called Tristan Sterling, also bringing up the same matter.
"I heard from Lisa Lawson that Rachel has gone back to live with her family. Is that true?"
Madam Sterling had called them today to ask about Rachel’s condition, but Lisa Lawson had immediately started complaining to her, listing all of Rachel’s supposed faults.
Lisa Lawson had assumed Madam Sterling would take her side, just like Tristan Sterling.
Who would have thought that Madam Sterling would immediately scold her? Lisa Lawson’s face went pale, and she didn’t dare utter another word.
Tristan Sterling rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She’s an adult. She knows what she’s doing. If she wants to go back to her family’s home, that’s her choice."
’When he had brought up divorce, she had understood her position and hadn’t pestered him with pointless struggles. In that sense, Rachel Royce knew her place.’
’When Rachel first started as his assistant, he had seen through her, no matter how well she tried to hide her feelings for him.’
’If she could have kept them hidden, he would have respected her. Professionally, at least, she was truly outstanding and capable.’
’But she never, ever should have done what she did.’
’The sudden arrival of the child.’
’And then, marrying her.’
’These were the only two things in his twenty-plus years of life that had ever slipped beyond his control.’
’He couldn’t stand it.’
Madam Sterling said, "She’s pregnant now..."
"That’s enough, Grandma. I’m tired. I’m hanging up."
Tristan Sterling hung up the phone.
*
Rachel Royce had dinner with Julian Jennings and the others that evening.
She learned that the issue with Easton had been resolved, but only because Easton had made concessions to get Tristan Sterling to back down. Easton’s losses were still significant.
Conrad Sutton didn’t blame his daughter too harshly. He just asked Julian Jennings to keep a better eye on her before taking a flight back to Portington.
Joanna Sutton drank heavily at the dinner table to blow off steam. She wanted to start cursing people out, but Ian Quinn stopped her, reminding her that the walls have ears and they needed to be careful.
"She has Tristan Sterling protecting her now. If you can’t afford to provoke her, you can at least avoid her. Just stay far away whenever you see her from now on," Ian Quinn advised.
Joanna Sutton was drunk to the point of being senseless.
Ian Quinn supported her out of the private room.
They happened to run into Suzanne Sullivan, who was attending a dinner party there.
Julian Jennings looked at Suzanne Sullivan and said, "On behalf of Joanna, thank you for today, President Sullivan."
Suzanne Sullivan replied, "It never should have gotten so serious. There’s no need for thanks." Her gaze, complex, fell on Joanna. "She has a stubborn streak. President Jennings, please look after her."
Julian Jennings grunted in agreement. "I know. However, I hope you’ll keep your own sister in line, President Sullivan." He phrased it as diplomatically as he could.
Suzanne Sullivan looked at Julian Jennings and, after a moment’s thought, acknowledged his point with a quiet sound.
Neither party said anything further.
Suzanne Sullivan excused herself and left.
Ian Quinn was taking Joanna home, but halfway there, she was seized by painful stomach cramps and began vomiting uncontrollably. Ian Quinn rushed her to the hospital.
Julian Jennings had just dropped Rachel Royce at home when he received a call from Ian Quinn.
"What’s wrong with Joanna?" Rachel Royce asked.
"She drank too much and has a stomachache. It’s probably nothing serious. I’m going to check on her now. You should head in and get some rest."
Rachel Royce nodded. "Okay."
Rachel Royce got out of the car and started walking into her residential complex when her phone suddenly buzzed. She took it out and saw it was a call from Madam Sterling.
